CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City — The Department of National Defense (DND) on Sunday assured the Filipino public that they have “nothing to worry about” for their safety this holiday season following the bombing in Marawi City that killed 4 individuals.
“Hindi dapat kabahan ang ating kababayan dahil nasa amin ang responsibilidad na alagaan ang kanilang kaligtasan sa mga ganitong insidente,” Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said in a press briefing.
“Mismong ang ating Pangulo na ang nanguna na atasan ang mga kaukulang ahensya upang agresibong maresolba ang mga insidenteng ito at hindi maulit ang mga ito,” he said.
Teodoro stressed that the Philippine National Police (PNP) is in Red Alert status in all its regional offices in Mindanao, while they are on heightened alert in Metro Manila. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Mindanao and Metro Manila, meanwhile, were on alert, too.
Police Major General Emmanuel Peralta, PNP’s acting chief for directorial staff said he already personally called National Capital Region Police Office chief Police Brigadier General Jose Melencio Nartates Jr. to implement heightened measures in the whole capital region.
This includes additional police patrols, enhancing intelligence monitoring activities, and coordinating with the Muslim community and other groups for “holistic countermeasures” said Peralta.
PNP also formed a special investigating task group to focus on the bombing, which would be led by Police Brigadier General Allan Nobleza, head of the Police Regional Office in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PRO-BARMM).
“Dinirekta namin sila na i-enhance ang mga crime prevention activities pati mga intelligence operations natin. Inatasan din natin sila na makipag-ugnayan sa AFP at sa ngayon, ‘yung ating explosives and ordinance units ay makikipag-coordinate sa AFP counterparts,” he said.
“We will compare those para makita natin kung ano-anong mga insidente ang… may mga similarity at sa ganon ay magkaroon tayo ng leads kung anong mga grupo ang nasa likod ng insidente na ito,” he said.
AFP Chief-of-Staff Romeo Brawner Jr. said he would go to Marawi City on Monday to check the situation and hold a command conference with AFP and PNP commanders on the ground.
Brawner vowed they would go after the groups involved in the blast. This visit also aims to discuss how to protect the public and the communities in Marawi City who are gripped by fear, most especially those in Mindanao State University (MSU).
“Dapat ma-assure namin sila na hindi na mauulit ito, na magpapatuloy ang edukasyon nila. Lahat ng tulong na kaya natin ay, of course, we will try to get all the information we could get, not just from the intelligence units but also from the community. Maraming dumadating na information,” said Brawner.
Teodoro said the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) regional directors in Mindanao would also be in Marawi City to focus on the needs of residents.
“Importante ang Civil Defense interventions dito sa mga situation na ganito,” he said.
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. earlier this day condemned the “heinous act,” saying foreign terrorists were behind this. He also vowed to hold the perpetrators accountable. (OCD)
